


Sustainability

by LoveWellSpent



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, Family, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-07
Updated: 2013-02-08
Packaged: 2017-11-28 12:15:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/674300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveWellSpent/pseuds/LoveWellSpent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bella and Edward have never liked each other. When their best friends Alice and Jasper unexpectedly die in a car crash they become joint guardians of an orphaned one year old girl. Will they have the strength to set their differences aside in able to raise this child together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Thanks for checking this out. First, you should know that this is a story based on the movie, "Life As We Know It", which came out in 2010. It's a great movie and if you're into romantic comedies I would definitely recommend it. Secondly, this is my first Edward/Bella multi-chapter story, so here's to hoping it'll be a good one. Edward and Bella are in their mid-twenties and living on their own. The rest will be determined in later chapters.

My first thought after hearing the news was one of utter despair.

No, not them. Why did it have to be them?

They had only been twenty-four years old. I didn't understand it. They had been happy. Maybe not completely, but they had their family, their friends, not to mention their ultimate dream jobs. And more than that they had Ezzy, their vibrant, beautiful one-year-old daughter.

How could the world be so cruel as to take away two wonderful parents from their newborn child?

It was immoral. Absolutely outrageous. And the injustice didn't simply stop there.

Ezzy had not only just lost both of her parents, but my best friend was gone. The one person who I could always turn to in times of struggle was no longer with me, and I couldn't figure out why. Why did it have to happen like this?

I now had no one to keep me from falling, no one to stand by my side and support me through it all. For the first time in my life, I was entirely alone…and hopelessly afraid.

There was nothing I could do to stop myself. I fell to the floor and wept.


	2. Chapter 1: Bella POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sustainability - the power to withstand

"I need to see her. Just let me see her, please."

Tears filled my eyes as I stared despondently at the officer, waiting hopefully for his permission to see Esmeralda. I couldn't bear the thought of her being in the hands of some stranger. She belonged in her own house, in her own crib, surrounded by the people who loved her. Not in some awkward, foreign environment.

"I'm sorry, but the baby has already been taken to a foster home for the night," the officer explained, his tone lightly sympathetic. "You can see her first thing in the morning."

I bit down hard on my bottom lip to keep from screaming out in frustration. Forcing myself to remain calm, I nodded and then watched as the officer retreated down the hall. Leaning my back against the wall, I closed my eyes and counted down to ten. It was a habit I had picked up ever since I was little, and for some unknown reason it always had the power to keep me steady.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1.

"Bella?"

I immediately opened my eyes and saw Edward's face. Blinking in surprise, I stared at him for a moment, allowing his presence to sink in. He was wearing a navy blue t-shirt underneath his black leather jacket, and a pair of dark blue jeans. His thick bronze hair appeared to be messy, as always, but what stood out the most was the unmistakably hard, grief-stricken look that emanated from his deep, piercing green eyes.

"You look terrible," I remarked, not really knowing what else to say.

He raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Right back at you," he murmured.

If it had been any other time, I would have laughed. But since two of my closest friends had just died in a car accident, I didn't have it in me. The tears that had been filling up began to spill, falling in a silver cascade down my face.

"I'm assuming you know about A-Alice and Jasper?" I stammered, quickly wiping away the tears with my hands. I didn't want to fall apart here, not in front of him. He didn't need to see me like this.

"I do," Edward said, and I swear I heard a small crack in his voice. I could tell that he was suffering – exactly as I was. And for just that one moment, I felt comforted by the fact that I wasn't alone in this feeling.

"Ezzy-", he began, but I quickly cut him off, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"They won't let us see her until tomorrow morning."

His eyes immediately flickered with disappointment, followed by a slight trace of indignation. "We know her better than anyone," he asserted, crossing his arms. He glared at the wall, and the muscle on the left side of his face twitched with anger.

"I know," I murmured, "but apparently its policy."

"Screw the policy," Edward very nearly growled.

I raised my eyes to stare at him, never having heard him sound so mad before. But then again, I didn't know him as well as Jasper had - and for good reason. He was an arrogant ass, not to mention a total player; it had only taken me five short minutes to learn that fact when Alice and Jasper had set us up on a blind date a couple years back. Edward had ended up being one hour late in picking me up, which of course wasn't humorous in the least. Not only that, but the date had only lasted five minutes, from the time I had sat in his car to when I had stormed out of it, thoroughly insulted. The man actually had the audacity to flirt on the phone with some other woman while I sat in the passenger seat and tell her while I was clearly listening that he'd make sure to drop by her place that same night.

I never remembered being so furious in all my life, especially on a date.

I couldn't believe it when Alice had told me that he was Jasper's friend. What decent man could ever be close friends with such a dickhead? I had always thought about asking Jasper about his and Edward's relationship, but the question had always slipped my mind, and normally whenever I was around Jasper, so was Edward.

"We should probably go," I said, snapping out of my thoughts. I stepped away from the wall, suddenly feeling very awkward standing in front of him. This was the first time we had been alone since our disastrous date and it made me want to squirm. Or better yet, run like hell.

He nodded silently, a faraway look in his eyes. I realized that he was in shock, and in that moment I was unsure of what to do. I didn't want to stay in the hospital one second longer, but at the same time I didn't want to leave him here alone, despite my colossal dislike towards him.

Indeed, it was a very awkward predicament.

A full minute passed and I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around." I took a hesitant step forward, and then another. When he still didn't move I sighed softly and continued to walk down the hall towards the exit.

I figured he would be fine. We hardly even know each other, and he wouldn't have wanted me to stay with him. In fact, after a while he probably would have asked me what I was doing, and then I'd end up feeling stupid. Feeling stupid was not on my agenda tonight. I already felt like shit.

As I made my way towards my car I noticed a motorcycle parked next to it and narrowed my eyes, recognizing it right away as Edward's. I had to admit that it was nice, but knowing that many a girl had ridden on it made me grimace. Shaking my head, I unlocked my car and opened the door before slipping inside. I let out a sigh, relieved to be out of that place. Hospitals were definitely at the top of my hate list, right along with Edward.

I knew that I shouldn't be so quick to judge, but there was just something about Edward that really rattled my cage. It wasn't simply the fact that he was straight out rude and an undeniable player, but something else. I just couldn't quite piece it together…

…and I had a feeling that I might never would.

~*~

I woke up the next morning with a box of tissues on my right and an empty wine bottle on my left. Bright rays of sunlight streaked through the glass in my window, hitting me directly in the face. I shot up, hissing in pain.

"Fuck, my head is going to explode."

At the sound of my pained outcry, my gorgeous black and tan German shepherd dog, Buddy, bolted into my bedroom and emitted a sharp, defensive growl.

"Buddy, don't you dare bark," I warned him, making my miserable way to the bathroom in search for some much needed Excedrin. In realizing that his owner wasn't under attack, Buddy lowered his hackles and wagged his tail, looking rather adorable.

I grabbed the Excedrin from my bathroom cabinet and desperately unscrewed the cap. After popping two in my mouth I leaned over the sink, turned on the faucet, and gulped down a mouthful of water.

The moment I swallowed the pills I remembered that I had absolutely no food in my stomach. If I didn't eat anything soon, I would undoubtedly throw up. Letting out a small groan, I dashed out of my bedroom and towards the kitchen with Buddy following close behind.

Once I was in the kitchen I yanked open the refrigerator door and stared inside at its contents. There wasn't one thing that looked even remotely appetizing. I closed the door, sighed in frustration, and looked around. Spotting a banana on the counter beside the coffee maker, I decided on that and went to grab it. The second I picked it up and started peeling it, I heard a faint whine from the entrance to the kitchen.

Buddy was sitting down on the ground staring at me with his soft, chocolate brown eyes, his head slightly tilted to the side. I smiled, understanding exactly what that look meant after having seen it so many times before.

"All right, lover boy, you may have some of my banana," I said, and then in a more adamant tone, "Hier!"

Immediately he sprang to his paws and bounded towards me.

"Sitz!" I ordered, and watched as he promptly sat down.

"Good boy," I murmured lovingly and patted him gently on his head. Affectionately he licked my hand, his tail wagging back and forth on the kitchen floor.

After swallowing a bite of banana, I broke off a piece and gave it to him. This process was repeated a few times until the banana had officially been consumed. Patting my stomach in satisfaction, I glanced over at the coffee maker and was just about to get ready to make some java when a knock came at the door.

Buddy instantly sprang into action, leaping forward and dashing to the door. I winced in agony when he started to bark, wondering why the hell I had to have such a competent guard dog.

I then glanced down at what I was wearing and shortly moaned. All I had on was a skimpy white spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of multi-colored plaid shorts. On top of that, my hair looked like a rat had been nesting in it all night. Now was definitely not the time for unexpected company.

Running to the door, I pushed Buddy aside and ordered him to sit and be quiet. Once that was done, I opened the door a crack and peered out to see who was there.

I blinked in surprise. "Edward?"

"Hey, Bella. Did you get the call?"

"No. What call?"

"Alice and Jasper's lawyer called…he wants us to meet at their house to discuss something."

"Oh. When?"

"At eight-thirty."

"What time is it now?"

"Eight fifteen."

I cursed. "Okay, I can be ready in five minutes." I slammed the door, reconsidered and opened it again. "Sorry, come inside. But beware of the dog."

Edward raised an eyebrow, before cautiously stepping inside the apartment. A low growl came from Buddy's throat the moment their eyes made contact. Lowering his head, the fierce looking German shepherd pulled his lips back in a snarl.

Edward's eyes grew huge. "Bella, what is that?"

I grinned wide and proud. "He's my baby. Isn't he handsome? His name is Buddy."

"You named your wolf Buddy?"

Buddy growled once again.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "He is not a wolf. He is a German shepherd – a German shepherd that can kick your ass. Do you seriously want to insult him right now?"

Edward glanced back down at Buddy and immediately shifted closer to the door.

"Okay, be right back. Buddy, you keep a good watch on him."

I started up the steps but then halted right in my tracks when Edward suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! He's not going to attack me, is he?"

I sighed, turned around and said, "Not if you don't give him a good reason to…oh, and not unless I give him the order."

"That's not very comforting," came his frank response.

I smirked. "Good," I remarked, before dashing up the stairs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, some notes:
> 
> "Sitz" and "Hier" are German commands that are used to train German shepherds, (a sport called Schutzhund, which means "protection dog") used normally for police dogs. Buddy is a retired police dog, so it's appropriate that Bella learned to say these commands.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave me a review to let me know your thoughts. :)


	3. Chapter 2: Bella POV

"Edward, you're too close to that car."

"The idiot is going ten miles under the speed limit."

"So? You're going to hit him."

"It would be his own fault for driving ten miles under the damn limit."

"No, Edward, it would be your fault."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not going to hit him."

"Do you always drive so recklessly?"

"Are you always so damn irritating?"

I turned my head to glare at him. I had only been in the car with him for ten minutes and already Edward had managed to get on my very last nerve. I was beginning to realize that my tolerance for him was extremely limited.

As a matter of fact it was practically nonexistent.

I sighed and said, "I just don't want us to get a ticket, okay? We're already late enough as it is."

"We're not going to get a ticket, Bella. Relax."

"How can I relax when you're driving?"

It was Edward's turn to sigh. "Look, he turned. Okay? Problem solved."

I wanted to mention the fact that the problem wasn't the car, it was his driving, but decided to keep my mouth shut…for now. Crossing my arms, I glanced out the window and watched as the world passed swiftly by. Thankfully we were only a minute away from the house, so I wouldn't have to endure his presence alone much longer.

Heaven help me if we ever had to go on a road trip together.

As the car careened around a corner, a sudden movement near the side of the road caught my eye. It only took me a mere second to realize what it was before I screamed.

"Squirrel!"

Edward let out a curse and yanked the wheel a little to the left to avoid the endangered animal. Unfortunately, he swerved a little too late. I whimpered softly when I felt the tire run over the poor little creature, and a small piece of my heart broke at that moment.

A long, agonizing silence ensued.

I closed my eyes and told myself that it was okay. It had only been a squirrel, after all. A cute, furry, vulnerable and defenseless squirrel. And now…now it was dead.

I glanced over at Edward and whispered accusingly, "You killed it."

Edward glanced over at me, looking clearly affronted. "Are you kidding me? Bella, it ran right onto the road! What was I supposed to do, magically lift the car into the air? As much as I would like my car to have that kind of power, it doesn't. It wasn't my fault."

"Oh, so it's the squirrel's fault then? Are you suggesting it committed suicide?'

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Edward remarked flatly.

"Fine," I said curtly, just as the car rolled into Alice and Jasper's driveway. As I always did whenever I saw the house, I stared in admiration. The house was visibly huge. It was quite literally a small mansion. Alice had fallen in love with it the moment she found it, and there really was no wondering why.

It was a Colonial style house that had been built in 1945. It had five bedrooms, six baths, and a beautiful stone fireplace inside the living room. Everything inside - the furniture, various adornments and other household décor was just amazing and only added to its charm. Alice had done a fabulous job embellishing the house from top to bottom, inside and out. She had thrived on fashion, as well as beauty, and it showed in almost every aspect of her and Jasper's home.

Edward stopped next to the lawyer's car and as soon as it was parked I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out, breathing a faint sigh of relief. Before Edward had even stepped out of the car I was halfway to the front door, obviously not caring to wait for him.

I knocked on the door and waited, not turning to look at Edward as he came up to stand beside me. It didn't take very long for the lawyer to open the door, and once he did I flashed the middle-aged man a small, apologetic smile and said, "Sorry we're late."

The lawyer was of average height with short brown hair and square-rimmed glasses. He wore a dark brown suit along with a flattering red tie, and had on a polite, ready smile. I noticed that he was actually rather quite handsome, and I suddenly wished I could have had time to put on some make-up before hastily leaving the apartment.

"Come in, come in. My name is Tom Barnes. You may call me Tom."

"Nice to meet you, Tom," I replied, stepping into the house. Edward followed my lead and gave a short nod to Tom in acknowledgement.

"Let's sit at the kitchen table, shall we?"

Once we were all settled in our chairs with Edward and I seated next to each other and Tom sitting across from us, my anxiety significantly rose. I crossed my right leg over the other and folded my hands on top of my lap, preparing myself for what he was about to announce.

"First, I want to express my sincerest condolences to you two. I understand that Alice and Jasper were very close friends of yours, and after having worked for them for quite some time, I've come to realize what a pair of commendable people they were. They will certainly be missed."

"Thank you," I murmured, blinking away the tears that were threatening to form.

Edward nodded once and answered, "Yes, thanks."

"Now, I have a question," Tom began. He gazed at them for a short moment before inquiring, "Did Alice and Jasper ever discuss with you about who would take care of Esmeralda in the rare circumstance of her becoming an orphan?"

I glanced over at Edward, a confused expression appearing on both of our faces.

"No," we both told him, staring curiously at the lawyer.

"Well," Tom said, glancing briefly down at the sheet of paper in front of him before fixing us with quite a serious stare.

"It appears…that they both wanted you," he affirmed at last.

Immediately, Edward and I leaned forward in our seats.

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, assuming that I had misheard.

"They picked me with her?" Edward questioned simultaneously, sounding appalled.

"Yes. I promptly advised them not to considering some of the difficulties that could arise, but they were adamant in their decision. They agreed that you two together would be the best possible choice as Ezzy's guardians," Tom explained.

Feeling like I was about to be sick, I placed my hand over my stomach and closed my eyes, willing my head to stop spinning. My heart pounded like a cruel hammer against my rib cage, and for a few moments I could hardly breathe.

Edward and I? Joint guardians? What the hell had Alice and Jasper been thinking? Had they been high or extremely intoxicated at the time? I didn't know, but one thing was for sure - they obviously hadn't been thinking very logically. Perhaps they hadn't even been thinking at all.

This was definitely not what I had expected. And I could tell by the shocked look on Edward's face that he hadn't predicted it, either. I glanced over at the wine cabinet in the corner of the kitchen, thinking a nice warm glass of Cabernet Sauvignon would be absolutely delightful right about now.

"Excuse me, I think I need a moment," I said faintly, standing up from my chair.

Tom nodded and replied, "Take your time."

Turning around, I made my way through the house and walked out the back door. I inhaled a deep, shaky breath and stared blankly at my surroundings, feeling like my world was crashing down around me. Was this really happening? Was this actually real?

And how could Alice do this to me? She knew how much I loathed Edward. She knew I couldn't stand him, and yet she and Jasper still thought that they could simply mesh our lives together on account of their baby. It was utterly absurd!

I didn't think that I would be able to go back in, but after about five minutes of pacing back and forth on the porch, I sucked up the courage and re-entered the house.

Once I had sat back down beside Edward, who looked rather mystified, I gazed expectantly across at Tom and waited for him to give me more details.

Tom readily informed me, "Right, as I was saying to Edward, it would be appropriate in this case if you two moved in here to take care of Ezzy. Now, the mortgage of the house has already been paid, so no worries there. If in a few months it doesn't seem like it will work out, one or the other could take Ezzy. As a last resort, she would be put up for adoption."

My stomach clenched at the thought of Ezzy becoming a part of some other family. I narrowed my eyes, knowing deep down that I couldn't let that happen. Never would I ever allow that to happen.

If Alice and Jasper wanted Edward and I to be joint guardians, then so be it. It would be done.

And if, by chance, it didn't work out, I would take Ezzy.

I glanced over at Edward and our eyes met instantly. We held each other's gazes for a short moment, each realizing what the other wanted, before turning our attention back to Tom.

"Okay," Edward said.

I nodded. "We'll do it."

~*~

I cried the second Edward put Ezzy into my arms.

"Oh, thank God," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her in a firm, yet gentle embrace. I kissed her softly on the forehead, soaking up her wonderful presence.

"It's okay," I told her tenderly, completely overwhelmed with emotion, "Edward and I are here now."

And in that moment I fervently promised that I wouldn't be going anywhere.

I didn't think that I could count on Edward to stay, but on the other hand I hardly knew him, who was I to know what he would do? He had agreed to be Ezzy's guardian, to at least give it a shot, and for that I was grateful. Frightened like hell to be honest, but certainly grateful.

"Come on, Ezzy," I said affectionately, walking towards the car, "Let's get you out of here. It's time to go back home."

I flicked a glance over at Edward who was walking beside me, and wondered what he was thinking. Was he scared, too? I wanted to ask, but I could tell just by the distant look on his face that he wasn't in the mood for talking. And funnily enough, neither was I.

So I kept quiet, and remained silent the entire way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be in Edward's POV. Oh, and this story is set in Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks for reading. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Just to let you know in case you were wondering, Ezzy is short for Esmeralda. Thought it was a cute name for Alice and Jasper's baby! Thank you for reading. I'll be posting the first chapter very soon. :)


End file.
